BUT AS SHE WALKED BACK up the stairs to her office, Remy realized that she was thinking about a lot more things than just the company.
Inside, she was reeling from the news about Kaitlyn. Had she and Tyler been dating? Had he been pursuing Remy while spending time with Kaitlyn?
Suddenly she felt old and foolish. Again.
On Saturday night, after Tyler left, she’d spent a good hour on her couch just sitting and daydreaming about him. Planning what she was going to wear for their next date. When she’d finally drifted off to sleep, her mind had focused only on him. How she’d been so lucky to meet someone so special.
She hoped that they both weren’t making a big mistake. She sure didn’t want to worry that one day he would turn to her and say that he was interested in someone younger.
Because there wouldn’t be a single thing she could do about that.
THE REST OF THE DAY passed in a flash. There were forms to fill out, phone calls to return, service orders to take care of. Remy welcomed the chaos and the deluge of business. It all kept her mind off Tyler and away from the crazy mixture of emotions coursing through her. She was embarrassed. Because she’d been falling in love with him.
She should have remembered just how painful love could be. It was time to end things.
She needed to get on the phone right away and break their date.
But simply calling him and breaking things off on the phone didn’t sound very brave. She decided to go on this one date, then on the way home tell him that they couldn’t see each other anymore. If he asked questions, then she’d answer frankly—tell him how she’d heard someone else had been pursuing him.
She’d explain that while she didn’t necessarily have a problem with him dating someone else, she did have a problem with him leading her to believe that he was far more serious than he obviously was.
She would be calm and precise. Unemotional.
Yes, that would be the right way to handle things. It had nothing to do with the fact that a part of her was still looking forward to seeing him. To bask in that smile he sent her direction so well. To pretend, for just a little while, that she was half of a couple.
No longer alone.
Chapter Fifteen
As soon as she got home Remy said goodbye to Carmen, then took a long, hot shower. The pulsating bursts of water eased the knots in her neck and helped her refocus. Next she toweled off and dried and curled her hair. After much deliberation, she decided to pull it back into an uncomplicated ponytail. Someone had once told her she looked younger with it styled simply.
Then, because she wasn’t sure where she and Tyler were going, she slipped on black slacks and a loose coral silk top. Gold chandelier earrings and a simple chain completed the outfit.
Well, almost. With a smile, Remy pulled out her impulse purchase from the weekend before. High-heeled black sandals. They were the type of shoes she’d never been able to buy with Mark—she’d never wanted to stand out as taller than him. But with Tyler, the four-inch heels would maybe take her almost to his eye level.
Five minutes after she’d spritzed on perfume, the doorbell rang.
“Am I too early?” Tyler asked the moment she opened the door.
She glanced at her watch. “Not at all. You’re right on time. Come in. I’ve just got to get a purse….” Her voice drifted off as he slid a hand around her waist and brushed his lips against hers. “Oh!”
He obviously enjoyed her bewilderment—his dimple appeared. “Sorry. I couldn’t wait. You look beautiful.”
“Oh. Well, thank you. You look nice, too.” And he did. Wearing a navy blazer over yet another crisp white unbuttoned button-down, he looked as gorgeous as he ever did. Dammit. It was going to be extremely difficult to say goodbye. To have him out of her life.
“So, are you ready?”
For a moment her mind blanked, then she remembered her mission. “I just need to get my purse,” she said. “I’ll be right back.”
“I’ll be here,” he murmured.
Oh, she hated it when he said things so…so loverlike. When he stared at her as if he didn’t want to share her with another person.
When he kissed her as if he couldn’t wait to take her to bed. Something visceral happened to her when he did those things. Oh, she was in trouble. They’d been in each other’s company only five minutes, but already her knees felt like butter.
He probably made Kaitlyn feel the same way. Remy immediately dismissed that thought, determined to enjoy this last evening with Tyler.
And yet, sitting in his car didn’t lessen her tension. Remy was hyper-aware of every move he made. Every mood that flashed across his features.
At the moment he looked pensive.
Worry knotted her stomach as she realized he looked a little tense, too. Maybe he was regretting their date? Maybe he wasn’t going to wait until the end to break things off.
Well, better to get things out in the open than keep them secret. “Tyler, is everything okay?”
“Maybe.” His lips pursed as he gripped the steering wheel. “I’ve got something to tell you, but I don’t know how you’re going to take it.”
“Oh?” Her stomach sank.
He grimaced. “I almost called you earlier. But I didn’t want to take a chance that you’d cancel. But I think I should have called. It would have been better.”
Well, there it was. He was definitely going to end things. She was too old. He’d found someone else. This was some kind of awkward last date. “Maybe you should just tell me what you need to tell me,” she said tightly. “Then we’ll both stop worrying.”
“Okay. But promise you’ll hear me out before getting mad.”
The waiting was fraying her nerves. “Tyler, what is it?”
Instead of answering, he darted a look her way again. “Remy, do you promise to hear me out?”
“Yes! I promise. What?”
“We don’t have reservations right at seven-fifteen. They’re at eight.”
Remy swallowed hard. Huh?
Tyler continued. “Actually, the reason I changed our reservation is because…I promised my brother-in-law that he and Cindy could meet us for drinks before dinner.”
She still was having trouble getting her mind around his words. This was his big announcement? Not that he was about to break up with her? “What?”
“My sister and brother-in-law want to meet you and they wouldn’t take no for an answer. I’m really sorry.”
“Oh.”
“Oh? You aren’t mad?”
She felt like laughing. “No. I thought you were going to say you didn’t want to see me anymore.”
He looked stunned. “Why would you think that? I’ve been following you around like a puppy since we first met, begging you to give me a chance.”
Feeling somewhat embarrassed, she decided to get everything out in the open. “Tyler, see, I thought you were going to tell me that you were dating Kaitlyn.”
“Kaitlyn?” After a moment he looked her way again, shock transforming his features. “The girl at work? Why?”
She lifted a hand to her brow, brushing a stray curl that had escaped her ponytail, then said, “Someone at work told me y’all were close….”
“We sat close to each other.”
Seeking to sound way more calm and collected than she felt, she said, “It’s okay if you two got close. I mean, we never made any commitments….”
Tyler was so stunned, he was thankful they were at a stoplight. He needed a moment to gather his thoughts and formulate a response. “Kaitlyn’s nice. I’m sure she’ll make someone a great girlfriend. But no, we’re not dating.”
Slowly she said, “You’re telling me the truth, aren’t you? You’re not dating her.”
“Remy, I’m sorry, but I’m amazed that you’d think that. And I’m more than a bit surprised that you listened to office gossip.”
She bit her lip and a tiny guilty look sprouted between her brows. “I wouldn’t put it that way.”
The light turned and he was forced to focus on the road. But the traffic wasn’t enough to sidetrack his mind.
“I’m sorry I even brought it up. It’s a girl thing, I guess. Kaitlyn is pretty.”
“She is pretty. But she’s not you.” He almost told her why he’d come to Carnegie. Almost told her that he dreamed about her the way thirteen-year-olds dreamed of being the star pitcher, or the lead singer in a band. But that would really send her running. “So you’re not mad about drinks with my sister?”
“No. I think it’s kind of cute. I just hope they’ll approve.”
“They will.” But he couldn’t care less if they did or not. He’d never been the type to rely on other people for approval—not even his sister. “It’s just an hour, then we’ll have our date,” he said as he pulled into the Polo Grill’s parking lot.
The restaurant had valet parking, but he ignored it, uneager to share Remy’s presence with anyone else. After he turned off the ignition, he leaned over and kissed her. Lightly.
And then it began again. One kiss became another. That one became incredible. So deep. So hot.
Lifting his head, he smiled as Remy pressed her fingers to her mouth. “Oh, my lipstick. Shoot. They’ll know what we’ve been doing. Can you wait a sec while I fix myself up?”
“I can wait all day.”
Tyler felt almost smug as he exited, then walked around the car to her side. When he opened her door she was ready, and looked at him with a smile. “So, do we need a sign?” she said as she very femininely held out a hand for him to assist her.
He kept hold of her hand as they walked the short distance to the restaurant’s entrance. “What do you mean?”
“Mark and I used to have a sign, a call sign or signal to use in situations like this. If things got too uncomfortable or awkward, one of us would say the word and the other used to come to the rescue.”
“I like that idea.” He also liked that she was bringing up her ex-husband without the usual pain in her voice. Trying to think of something unusual, he recalled a pair of men playing a game on the boardwalk the other day. “How about Parcheesi?”
“Parcheesi?” Scorn filled her tone. “You’re obviously new at this. Parcheesi will not do. Tyler, it has to be something that would come up in normal conversation…like coffee or sunset.”
Enjoying the idea of the two of them having a little private signal, he thought again. “I know—the word is sailing,” he murmured, liking that word a whole lot more than he ever used to. Sailing now reminded him of their first date, of kissing her for the first time. “If things get bad, say something about sailing and I’ll rescue you.”
Her lips curved. “Promise?”
“Definitely,” he said as he opened the door and let the hostess lead them to the bar.
Where Cindy and Keith were already waiting.
Feeling vaguely as if they were going into battle, Tyler said, “That’s them over there. I promise, this will be fine. They’re nice.”
He sure hoped it was true.
CINDY LOOKED A LOT LIKE Tyler, Remy reflected as they approached the couple, who were now standing. Same black hair. Same dark eyes. Tall. Keith was a study in contrast—blond hair, blue eyes. He looked a little like Barbie’s Ken, though less perfect and more cuddly.
“Hi. Ramona Greer.”
“Cindy Westbridge. This is my husband, Keith.”
After they got settled and the cocktail waitress came by, Remy had the unmistakable impression she was being examined. Next to her, Tyler seemed a little tense.
Remy instinctively knew it was because he felt protective about her, not that he was afraid she’d do something wrong. And because she now felt a little more sure of her relationship with him—at least she knew he wasn’t dating Kaitlyn—she attempted to put him at ease. “You know, in all the years that I’ve lived here, I’ve never been to this restaurant. Do you two come here a lot?”
“Pretty much never,” Cindy replied. “We have two kids, you know.”
“I’ve met April. Tyler and I ran into each other at Movies and More. She is so cute.”
Cindy raised an eyebrow. “I didn’t hear about that.”
“It was when I had April overnight,” he explained.
“Tyler was stocking up on Baby Einstein.”
“Oh, yes, now I remember. Oh, boy, that was a weekend and a half. Megan was sick. I think it took me a whole week to recover!” Looking her over, Cindy smiled. “Of course, I wouldn’t trade one moment of motherhood for anything. Have, uh, you ever thought about having kids one day?”
Well, the interrogation had begun in record time. The question was a painful one, but Cindy couldn’t know that. Doing her best to keep her composure, Remy said, “I have.”
“In your former marriage—”
“Cindy…” Tyler’s voice held an unmistakable warning.
“It’s okay,” Remy murmured. “My former marriage was cut short because my husband had lung cancer. We didn’t think the timing was right for children.” Though that wasn’t why they’d never had children. She had been the one with the problem in that department—to her shame.
But it wasn’t anyone’s business.
Cindy closed her eyes for a moment. When she opened them, pure repentance was in her gaze. “I’m sorry. I never should have asked such a thing. I promise, I’m not usually so rude.”
Tyler reached for Remy’s hand and gave it a gentle, reassuring squeeze. “Maybe we should talk about something else. Like sailing, Remy?”
She almost smiled. “Not yet.”
This time it was Keith who looked confused. “You only talk about sailing at certain times?”
Sipping her wine, Remy shook her head. “No, only when I’m feeling uncomfortable. But I’m okay.” She stopped herself from saying anything else. She couldn’t help her age or her childless state. She couldn’t help that Tyler liked her. She’d come too far to risk falling apart over things she couldn’t help.
A new appreciation filled Keith’s tone when he spoke again. “Has Tyler ever told you a twin story?”
“No. I didn’t know there was such a thing.”
Cindy laughed. “Back when we were small, we got into a lot of trouble together.”
“Especially at school,” Tyler said.
“How? The only twin stories I’ve heard were like The Parent Trap, where twins traded places.”
Looking fondly at her brother, Cindy said, “We’d gang up on people. Teachers. Mom and Dad. You name it.”
“We were a united force. And when we both wanted something, it was a pretty tough opposition.”
Remy was charmed. “Were y’all ever in the same class?”
“Once.” Eyes full of mischief over her pink cosmopolitan, Cindy looked at her brother. “Remember poor Mrs. Walker?”
“I could never forget. We were so mean to her.” Explaining, Tyler added, “One day we told the biggest fib to our teacher. Saying that we were home alone and our parents were in Paris.”
“Never realizing that maybe it would be illegal for parents to leave two seven-year-olds alone.”
“We really had her going, talking about our food supply and our to-do list.”
“The principal, too.”
Remy leaned forward. “What happened?”
“Unbeknownst to us, the principal called all the people on our emergency forms and asked them to come for a meeting.”
“Then all hell broke loose,” Tyler said with a grimace. “Our neighbor called Mom, wanting to know why the big important meeting was scheduled. Mom called Dad.…”
“And at two o’clock, everyone arrived,” Cindy said with a shudder.
“I can’t believe I’ve never heard this story,” Keith interjected.
“I can,” Cindy quipped. “I’ve never been in a hurry to share i
t, honey. It wasn’t our finest hour.”
Tyler chuckled. “So Cindy and I tromp into the principal’s office, sure the administrator felt so sorry for us that we might get an extra ice cream from the cafeteria.”
“But that didn’t happen?”
“Oh, no. Everyone was there, half arguing, half complaining. And then they all glared at us.”
“It was horrible,” Cindy confirmed. “We got yelled at by so many people, they were practically waiting in line for their turn.”
“The ride home was even worse. Dad kept talking about respect and honesty.” Looking at his sister, Tyler smiled. “He pretty much said we were sadly lacking in both qualities.”
“Mom kept nodding and repeating everything Dad said. When all was said and done, we got no ice cream for two weeks.”
Remy shared an amused smile with Keith. “Oh. My. That was harsh punishment indeed.”
“It felt like it,” Tyler said as he squeezed her hand again.
“That wasn’t the worst part,” Cindy said. “The worst was we were separated for a whole week. We couldn’t sit together to study or to watch cartoons.”
“And we had to write apology notes to everyone.” With a grimace, Tyler shook his right hand. “I can still feel the cramp in my hand from writing those.”
“Each one had to have five lines and be in cursive,” Cindy explained.
Remy thought it really was amazing how they seemed to read each other’s minds and could finish each other’s sentences without missing a beat.
Remy laughed. “Your poor parents.”
“We drove them crazy, I’m sure.” Sobering, Cindy looked at Tyler. “But then one day they were gone.”
Keith rubbed his wife’s shoulder. “So…can’t we talk sailing yet?”
“What do you think, Remy?” Tyler murmured as he slowly rubbed a thumb over her knuckles. “Ready to talk sailing now?”
Second Chance Hero Page 11